The present invention relates to a procedure for feeding a solid material into a pressurized space and to an apparatus for feeding a solid material into a pressurized space.
In process industry systems there are cases where a solid material has to be fed into a pressurized space. For example, for the gassing of solid fuel in gas power plants, the fuel is fed into a feed chamber where the pressure is 30 bar. The feed chamber is filled with nitrogen to prevent dust explosion. The amount of nitrogen escaping in connection with the supply of fuel should be minimized because creating a pressure and producing nitrogen involve high expenses.
A certain older solution for feeding a solid fuel into a pressurized space uses an intermediate silo system in which a space near the pressurized space is filled with solid fuel and the pressure in the intermediate silo is brought to the level prevailing in the pressurized space. After the correct pressure has been reached, a port between the intermediate silo and the pressurized space is opened and the solid material is inserted into the pressurized space. A system like this requires a large intermediate silo volume which has to be pressurized and the air in the silo has to be replaced with nitrogen or an equivalent gas.